Matt Williams wins NL Manager of Year; Giants’ Bochy third

Published 9:04 pm, Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A skipper with San Francisco baseball in his DNA was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday, although it was not the man who got to take a Champagne bath after winning the World Series yet again.

Rookie manager Matt Williams won the award in a runaway after guiding the Nationals to 96 wins and an East Division title. Williams was a Giants third baseman from 1987 through ’96.

Last year’s winner, Clint Hurdle of the Pirates, finished second. Bruce Bochy was third, a familiar spot for the Giants’ manager. He also finished third in 2010 and 2012 after guiding the team to World Series championships.

Two members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of American from each NL city voted for the award, listing their top three choices.

Like the other BBWAA awards — Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young — ballots must be submitted before the first postseason game because the awards are meant to reflect performance over the long haul of the regular season.

Williams received 18 of 30 first-place votes. Hurdle got eight and Bochy three. The other first-place vote went to the Marlins’ Mike Redmond.

Bochy also received three second-place votes and six third-place votes in finshing behind two managers who watched the World Series at home after the Giants ousted their teams.

In a conference call after the announcement, Williams called Bochy “one of the best managers in the game. I think there are many reasons for that. One, he understands the game itself and how to manage. He understands and has the respect of his players. He’s been there and he’s done it. We all aspire to be as good as Boch is.

“I’ve done a lot of interviews today. One overwhelming theme is, there is no debate anymore that he will be a Hall of Fame manager.”

The Manager of the Year results might have looked different had the postseason been considered, especially after Williams was criticized for removing starter Jordan Zimmermann with two outs in the ninth inning and a 1-0 lead in Game 2 of the Division Series against the Giants.

Pablo Sandoval tied the game with a double against closer Drew Storen. The Giants won on Brandon Belt’s 18th-inning homer and took the series .

Bochy has won Manager of the Year once in 20 seasons, with San Diego in 1996. The Padres’ Bud Black won in 2010 after the Giants edged San Diego for the West title. The Nationals’ Davey Johnson won in 2012.

Bochy’s opponent in the 2014 World Series, Ned Yost of the Royals, finished third in this year’s American League Manager of the Year balloting.

The Orioles’ Buck Showalter coasted to his third such honor with 25 of 30 first-place votes. The Angels’ Mike Scioscia was second with four firsts. The Mariners’ Lloyd McClendon got the final first-place vote, although Yost finished ahead of McClendon on the strength of 11 seconds and eight thirds.